


Trial #1

by BetterNameToCome



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Earth AU, F/F, Major character death - Freeform, Shadowwaver is Michael, entrapta is also michael, it's the afterlife, the good place - Freeform, the good place AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 08:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24467878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetterNameToCome/pseuds/BetterNameToCome
Summary: Catra didn't think she was a bad person. She didn't give to charity and she wasn't exactly nice, but could you blame her? Yet here she is waking up in heaven for a life she never lived and worst of all she's not alone, her childhood best friend and apparently her soulmate Adora is with her.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	Trial #1

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a multi chapter fic.

Catra opened to her eyes. She was sitting on an off-white sofa in an off-white room with off white carpets. The only part of the room that didn’t remind her of a middle-class show-home was the bold green writing on the wall declaring that “WELCOME! EVERYTHING IS FINE.”

  
Catra highly doubted that.

  
Catra jumped in her chair as a loud crashing noise rang out, quickly followed by another. “I’M FINE!” A shrill voice called out. She got to her feet, leaning heavily on her soles as not to be heard and approached the tall wooden doors. Just as Catra reached out her hand to push the door open and peek inside the door swung open towards her.

She jumped back into a crouch, ready to run.“Oh, hello Catra, sorry about the fright.” The woman opening the door was a 5’foot nothing woman with floor-length purple pigtails and dirty overalls. “My bad about the noise. Come on in, we have much to discuss.”The woman immediately turned back into the room, no doubt expecting Catra to follow.

  
Despite herself, Catra did.

  
This room was nothing like the bland dentist waiting area of the other. Rather than walls, every direction was ceiling-high windows looking out on a park bench under a tall blossom tree. The rest of the room was cramped chaos of tools. A corner of the room was obscured by a white sheet, which just Catra more questions. Amongst it all was a pale wooden desk, decorated with piles of papers and a thriving sunflower plant and a chair on each side of it.

  
Catra awkwardly walked to the chair facing the desk, unsure why she’s going along with this or what exactly this is.

  
Rather than sit on the chair behind the desk the woman pushed the papers to the side and sat atop the desk, looking down on Catra with unfiltered curiosity, “How are you feeling, Catra?”

  
“Pretty confused.” She admitted, oddly trusted of this bizarre woman.

  
Said woman was sitting cross-legged on her desk, having pulled a notepad out of her pocket and began writing.

  
Catra was distinctly reminded of her childhood therapist’s office.

  
“Ah yes the memory loss can be a bit dizzying I’m afraid.” The woman apologized with a kind smile, “I can answer your questions if you’d like.”

  
“Fine then.” Catra snapped, “Where are we? Who are you? and what the hell is going on?"

  
“Ah yes well you Catra Doe are dead.” The woman told her casually, “Your time on planet earth has reached its end and you are now here, in your afterlife.”

  
The words wormed their way into Catra’s gut like a bullet. “Greaatt.” She declared. She wasn’t sure if she was disappointed, she was dead, or that she wasn’t really. She had never given a shit about religion; she had liked the idea of a long dreamless sleep. Her luck, she guessed.

  
“I have some questions,” Catra tells the woman.

  
“Everyone does.” The woman tells her, still smiling. It doesn’t bother Catra like most people do.

  
“What happened to me?” She asks her, “I don’t remember how I died.”

  
“Ah, the memory was me. It’s a fascinating process really. I put a block on your memories to allow for a smoother transition into the afterlife since it was so embarrassing.”

  
Catra snapped her fingers, “Hey Angel, how did I die?”

  
“Are you sure you want to know?” The woman pressed, “Alright then. You were at a bar when you saw your ex-girlfriend of yours and spent the next two hours hiding in a bathroom stall and drank,” The woman checked her notes, “1.3 liters of tequila. You then proceeded to leave the bathroom to pick a fight with your ex-girlfriend’s date. This evolved into a bar fight where you bit the woman on the shoulder and broke two of her ribs. She then broke her beer bottle over the table and proceeded to stab you in the side with it.”

  
None of this surprised Catra, but she prepared herself to defend her actions to this woman. Thankfully, she seemed entirely unbothered by the story.

  
“So that’s how I died.” Catra declared.

  
“No, you survived the bar fight. However, you refused to seek help for the injury, stitched it up yourself in the same bar bathroom, and contracted an infection the following week. Your roommate found you hiding from her attempts to force you to a clinic in the hall cupboard already dead.”

  
Catra sighed, “So did pass or not?”

  
“Hmm?” The woman questioned.

  
“Is this you know…” Catra pointed her index finger up meaningfully and then downwards.

  
“You Catra Doe, are in a good place.” She offered with a warm smile.

  
Catra exhales sharply, allowing herself a moment of relief. Despite this something in her gut told her this couldn’t be right. She knew she wasn’t a good person. She didn’t deserve something like heaven. “So you run this place? Heaven?”

  
“Oh! I forgot that part, didn’t I? I am Entrapta. Oh nooo, I’m simply her intern.” She explained, “Light Spinner is the architect of this place. She’s currently with another new soul. A real VIP that one.”

  
Catra wondered what made this person so much better than her. Of course, she wouldn’t be considered important even in heaven.

  
“She and I oversee everything and ensure every aspect of this place is best calibrated for the ultimate afterlife experience.” Entrapta sped through her instruction like a highly intelligent toddler on speed.

  
“So, you’re angels?” Catra asked her.

  
“Technically no. While Christianity had some aspects correct, I am no angel and this is not heaven, simply a similar concept. I am an immortal being whose existence is dedicated to experimenting with and creating the ultimate afterlife experience. I prefer to think of myself as a scientist of sorts.”

  
Catra still kind of thought she was basically an angel.

  
“Well we better get going.” Entrapta leaped off her desk. Catra could have sworn it was her ponytails that caught her weight rather than her feet. “Let’s go!”

  
Entrapta pushed open one of the glass-paneled and stepped out into the pavilion.

Heaven was apparently a cheerful little village of little pink and purple frozen yogurt shops and a cobbled yellow paved road.

  
She ignored the pang in her chest at the memories of staying up late with Adora reading their worn copy of The Wizard of Oz every night. Adora had well adored that story.  
“Everything is measured the exact degree to create the highest levels of happiness within each resident,” Entrapta explained as they walked.

  
“This can’t be everyone’s happy place.” Catra pointed out.

  
“That’s the best part!” Entrapta cheered. Rather than walked Entrapta skipped from one ponytail to the other. Catra wondered this was simply one big hallucination from the infection. “The residents are also hand chosen so that both your interactions are environments will be compatible.”

  
Catra looked around at the empty streets. Maybe her perfect world was to just be left alone.

  
Entrapta had skipped ahead of Catra, turning the corner at yet another frozen yogurt place. She jogged after her. The crowd gathered around the corner confirmed that she was wrong. They were sitting in makeshift bleacher. Entrapta raced ahead, “Go sit! I’ll explain everything, don’t you worry about it.”

  
Catra found a seat in the second row, next to a giant of a woman with a shock of short white hair and two prosthetic arms. Catra wondered why she still had those if they were dead.  
“Hi!” The woman greeted, pulling Catra in for a hug. “Oh my god isn’t this exciting, we really made it you know?”

  
Catra allowed herself to be hugged, despite herself. The feeling in her gut that she didn’t belong only worsened.

  
“Err yeah sure,” Catra grunted.

  
A huge screen appeared before their eyes. Across the white screen was written the words “The Good Place: Orientation- Day 1.”

  
A woman floated across the screen. She was dressed in a smart purple and pink pantsuit, framed by her hip-length start black hair. Her face was covered with a rich purple \fabric that stretched out between her two ears. Catra realized at once that this must be Lightbringer, “Hello everyone, I am Light Spinner and welcome to your first day in the afterlife. You were all kind honest individuals and that is why you are here.” The woman greeted softly, “And how do we know this? Over your time on earth, each of your actions had a positive or negative value based on how much good or bad you put out into the world.”

  
Light Spinner was now surrounded by green and red writing of examples.

  
Catra then realized that there was something very wrong going on.

  
“Every flower you planted, every lie you told, every single action had an effect that was either good or bad.”

The screen changed so they were looking down on people smiling in their coffins.

  
“We calculate your total value using our highly accurate measuring system. Only the truly best of people are good enough to make it here, to the good place.”

  
All the coffins faded away, but one smiling woman in her coffin.

  
Catra wasn’t special. She knew this, she had never been good enough, she didn’t see why that would change now.

  
The screen changed again to Light Spinner's face.

  
“And the fate of everyone else?” Light Spinner asked herself, “Need not concern yourself with that.”

Catra gulped.

  
“The point being, you are here because you lived one of the best lives.” The screen returned to the smiling woman, glancing around at all her accomplishments written out around her. Light Spinner walked into the frame, kindly-looking down at the woman. “And you shall not spend your eternity alone. You each have a perfect match, your soulmate.”

  
The crowd gasped in awe. The woman next to Catra smiled at her awkwardly. Whoever this woman was her soulmate wasn’t going to be someone like Catra.

  
The woman on the screen was greeted by a man, who took her hand in his.

  
“Someone in this neighborhood is your soulmate and you shall spend the rest of eternity together.”

  
A crowd of smiling couples looked down and Catra and she wanted to be sick.

  
“Welcome to eternal happiness. Welcome to a good place.”

“Ah, Catra there you are.” The woman from the screen walked towards her, “My apologies for not welcoming you in person.”

  
Catra tried to fight her instincts telling her not to trust Lught Spinner. She was an angel. Then again, she wouldn’t be the first person who was supposed to protect Catra that hadn’t.

  
“No worries.” Catra shrugged it off. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  
Catra had been told before that she’s a bit of a cockroach. If anyone could pretend to fit in somewhere like this it was Catra.

  
“You as well, dear.” Her eyes wrinkled in a smile. “May I show you to your new home?”

  
“Sure.” Catra agreed. “Er thanks.”

  
Light Spinner turned to lead her away from the pavilion. “Do you have any questions?”

  
Catra fell into step alongside the woman.

  
“If you don’t mind me asking, why do you wear that mask?” Catra asked.

  
“I am not human.” Light Spinner told her gently, “Just an Entrapta has her own…differences as do I. I’m afraid mine is simply not as charming as magic hair.”  
What does it say about Catra that she found herself trusting this woman more with the admission of fangs or a toothless abyss of suction that she uses to eat? Catra then found herself wondering if angels could eat.

  
“I understand,” Catra replied. “How did I do it? Get into somewhere like this? How was I good enough?”

  
Light Spinner’s eyebrows pulled together in sympathy, “I wouldn’t be so hard on yourself, dear. Very few people would dedicate their lives to good as you dedicated yours.”  
“Right.” Catra agreed awkwardly, searching her mind for any genuinely good thing she had done and came up empty.

  
“Your work in animal rights earned you plenty of points, all of those innocent kittens that you and your organization saved…you deserve this Catra.”

  
She knew it, this was all a lie.

  
Catra loved animals, but she had never done anything about it. Sure, she pets the occasional stray, but she had never let herself help any of them. She didn’t belong here.  
As they walked, they had left the small village and were walking through a meadow, approaching a suburban cul-de-sac.

  
“And this will be your new home.” Light.Spinner reached her arm out to display the neighborhood to Catra.

  
The neighborhood was made up of three tan two-story homes, complete with white picket fences and manicured grass lawns. As far as Catra could tell all the houses were identical. Catra was disgusted. She could see a tall Victorian mansion only a street over, complete with a drawbridge.

  
“Oh wow.” She pretended to gasp, “Which one?”

  
“The one in the middle of course. We know how you love chatting with your neighbors.”

  
“Riiiighhhtt.”

  
Lightbringer tells her, “Let’s go, shall we?”

  
“Let’s do it.” Catra agreed.

  
She followed Lightbringer down the concrete sidewalk and past the white picket fence to the front door of her new home.  
Catra supposed she’s lived in worst places, but if her years in foster care had taught her one thing it’s that it was never the run-down broken homes that hurt the worst. It was the families that could afford to care about you but chose not to.

  
Catra had lived in a dozen houses just like this.

  
Catra stood in front of the welcome mat, glaring down the basic white door. The mat read “Hi I’m Mat.” Catra wanted to burn it.

  
Whoever’s afterlife she had stolen was definitely an asshole.

  
She pushed the door open and just as she expected the house was suffocatingly boring. “Wow!” she cheered.

  
“We knew you’d love it,” Light Spinner told her warmly. This is your living room, she gestured to the manicured cream and black furniture, and though here you will find your kitchen.”

  
She followed her to the other side of the room where the kitchen in all of its off-white marble bench glory sat. God Catra hated heaven.

  
“The swimming pool is out back so you can continue with your morning swims every day.” She told her.

  
Like hell, Catra was getting in that water.

  
“Shall we- Oh hello there.” Light Spinner began before turning back to the door.

  
Catra turned to follow her gaze when she saw her standing there.

  
Catra hadn’t seen Adora since she was 15 years old. She had been asleep when she felt Adora crawling out of bed next to her. She had assumed she was just going to the bathroom, but she had never seen Adora again.

  
Until now.

  
“Catra, this is your soulmate Adora,” Light Spinner told them.

  
Adora was dressed in a red leather jacket with obnoxious 80s shoulder pads. Her eyes were as bright as the night she had left, and those big blue eyes were locked on Catra.  
Catra did the only thing she knew how. She rushed towards Adora and shoved her to the ground on her way out the door.

Catra kept running. She let her feet lead her back through the meadow, through town and back into Entrapta’s studio.

  
She banged her fist against Entrapta’s door. “ANGEL! YOU IN THERE?”

  
The door disappeared under her fist,

  
“Hello Catra.” Entrapta greeted. One of her ponytails still held the doorknob.

  
“I-“ What was Catra going to say? Request a transfer? She didn’t belong here to belong with, she can’t go starting trouble or having anyone look further into her. If she hadn’t forked everything up with Light Spinner already.

  
“I’m sorry for bothering you,” Catra told her.

  
Entrapta just smiled back at it, “It’s no trouble. It’s always nice to have company. Would you like to sit while I work?”

  
Catra considered her options and decided that she might as well. She didn’t have anywhere else to go.

  
She pulled up the same seat she had used earlier and pulled it over to where Entrapta had been working. “Who are these women?”

  
Each of the metal women was carved with the same features. They were dressed in plain white dresses and absent of any expression.

  
“Has Light Spinner not told you about Darla yet?” Entrapta asked. She pulled down her welding helmet and picked up a glass bowl containing what seemed to be marbles.

  
“Nope.” She wrapped her arms around the back of the chair and leaned the chair forwards.

  
“Every neighborhood is run by a Darla. Think of them as an ethereal AI. I keep her running.” Entrapta said to her, pulling one of the marbles out of the bowl.

  
“And the marbles?” Catra asked.

  
“These are deactivated Darlas.” Entrapta holds the marble up to her eyes, “This is what happens when something goes wrong.”

  
“And it’s your job to figure out what?” Catra guessed.

  
“Well, job is not entirely accurate,” Entrapta confessed. “This is voluntary. I liberated these Darlas from the other neighborhoods.”

  
Catras eyebrows flew up her face, “You stole them?? I thought you were an angel?”

  
“Not an angel.” Entrapta reminded her, “Besides what’s more good than helping. I’m simply helping these beings…albeit against the strong advisement of my superiors.”

  
For the first time, Catra didn’t feel entirely out of place in this world. “Does Light Spinner know about this?”

  
“No.” Entrapta looked up, “Oh my, did I put you in an awkward position. You are against lying, aren’t you?”

  
Catra smiles humorlessly, “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Oh good.” Entrapta cheered. “You see when a Darla malfunctions she is set to self-destruct and shrinks down into this marble-like shape.”

  
“So how do you reverse the process?” Catra asked her.

  
“Well I have some theories,” Entrapta told her, eyes still glued on the marble.

  
“Which are?” Catra asked, amused by the angels’ surprise rebellion.

  
“You want to hear about my theories?!” Entrapta screeched, “Nobody ever wants to hear about my theories.”

  
Catra just shrugged and Entrapta immediately began her ranting.

Catra managed to avoid leaving her house the next day. Unfortunately, her plan to let heaven just forget she was there failed. Catra eventually emerged from her bed at 4pm the next day when she heard a knocking on her door.

  
Of course, it was Light Spinner coming to check on her.

  
“Oh, Catra dear, how are you? I was so worried about you after yesterday’s events.” Light Spinber tells her empathetically. “Poor Adora was rather upset.”

  
Catra hadn’t even been there a day and she had all but blown her cover, “I’m really sorry about everything that happened,” Catra looked down to the ground in mock guilt, “I was just overwhelmed with everything… “

  
“Oh, dear I understand.” Light Spinner gently placed a hand on Catra’s should and she fought against pushing her off.

  
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Light Spinner offered.

  
Catra shook her head, “All I need is some time to adjust.”

  
Lightbringer nodded solemnly. “Perhaps Adora could help you. The universe brought you two together for a reason.”

  
Catra knew the reason. The universe hated her. “Maybe. I really should apologize to her…” God, Catra hated this. “I think I’ll go right now.”

  
Before Catra could escape the conversation Light Spinner spoke up, “I’ll show you the way.”

  
“Great.” Catra replied, “I’ll go get dressed.”

  
Catra let herself mourn her failed plan and went to change.

Adora had a nicer house than her. Of course, she did. It was a less a house than an apartment above one of the yogurt shops, but Catra was dead jealous.

  
It reminded Catra of her first apartment. She had paid for it in blood, sweat and pure spite and she loved every nick and stain it had.

  
Adora’s apartment was much nicer, but the thought remained. Adora seemed surprise to see her. She answered the door in worn gym clothes but looking at her made Catra’s chest ache all the same.

  
“Hey, Adora.” She greeted. She looked over her shoulder at Lightbringer, “Thank you for showing me the way, Light Spinner, but I think I got this.”

  
“Of course. Nice seeing you as always, Adora.” Lightbringer greeted before disappearing down the hall.

  
“I’m shocked you came to find me,” Adora said to her once she was gone.

  
“I’m not the coward who ran.” Catra shot back.

  
Adora winced, “I guess I deserve that.” She paused for a moment, “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  
“Oh, you assumed I’d go to hell, did you? Typical Adora, thinking she’s better than everyone.” Catra knew she was supposed to be acting like a good person or whatever, but she couldn’t control herself, not around Adora.

  
“You know that’s not what I meant!” Adora shouted back. “Not everything is an attack against you.” She sighed, “I just didn’t expect to ever see you again… I didn’t even know you were dead.”

  
“Maybe I wasn’t.” Catra shrugged, “Maybe you died first.”

  
“No, it was definitely you.” Adora smiled bitterly, “I’m always the one that lives.”

  
“Obviously, that’s not true.” Catra chuckled, before catching herself. “I was just here to appease Light Spinner, this isn’t happening.”  
She turned to storm out again when Adora caught her arm, “Please Catra, stay.”

  
She turned to glare at her, “Isn’t that my line?”

  
“I’m sorry,” Adora told her. Her expression looked genuine. Adora had always been a terrible liar, but Catra supposed she didn’t really know her anymore.

  
“Right, so you’re not going to do it again?” she asked, shaking off Adora’s hand. She hated herself for doing this, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Adora figured it out.

  
Adora took a step away and sat down on a dark red couch. Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, “Run away?”

  
“Betray me.” Catra clarified, sitting down on the arm of the chair, as far as she could manage from Adora.

  
Adora sighed, “It was never about you.”

  
Catra gritted her teeth, “Oh I got that,” She paused for a moment, “So will you?”

  
“Catra, I would never hurt you,” Adora told her.

  
Catra let out a snort. “Okay great so I’m not supposed to be here.” She confessed.

  
“Catra you know I didn’t mean- “

  
“No seriously.” Catra hissed, “I’m not who they think I am. My memories, my job, my everything is wrong.”

  
“Are you sure?” Adora questioned, looking deadly seriously.

  
“Yes, I’m sure.” Catra hissed at her, “I’m not an animal rights activist, I don’t go for morning swims and I’m sure as hell not your soulmate.”

  
Adora flinched at that but didn’t argue. “You have to tell Light Spinner.”

  
“Like hell I do,” Catra shouted at her, getting to her feet.

  
“Catra, this could be a test,” Adora suggested.

  
Catra spun around towards her, “And if it isn’t?” she locked eyes her old friend, “You want to send me to hell?”

  
“Of course not!” Adora shouted, “Look, we’ll figure this out,” she gave a half-hearted smile, “Together.”

  
She snorted, “I wouldn’t go making promises you don’t know how to keep.” Catra bit back.

  
“Catra-“

  
“Whatever I’m getting some froyo.” She groaned and walked back out the door.

  
“I’m going to help you, Catra,” Adora told her.

“Sure, you are, princess,” Catra replied and closed the door.

  
Catra wondered if it couldn’t be true about her and Adora being soulmates. As a kid, she had let herself think it a few times when she came near to acknowledging just how she had felt about her best friend.

  
She doubted It through. The universe had never been that kind.


End file.
